PETM
by Roxius
Summary: A hunter is interrupted from landing the finishing blow on a Rathalos by a rather insane and annoying group of individuals. Please R & R!


Disclaimer: I do not own the Monster Hunter series.

* * *

"RRRAAAAAAOOUUGGGHHHH!"

The last shred of the great and mighty Rathalos' dignity was violently stripped away as the hunter's giant sword cleaved through its left wing, damaging it beyond repair. The long battle had come to an end. The dragon's scaly frame was covered in various wounds, thick streams of blood gushing from many of them. The beast growled weakly as it staggered in an attempt to keep its balance. For many years the Rathalos had fought valiantly against both man and monster to protect its territory. Its power and experience over the other dragons had made it grow cocky and self-assured, so it had never expected that today it would be brought near-death by a single Monster Hunter, the most powerful one that Pokke Village had to offer. The hunter was clad entirely in black armor all over, wielding a bright crimson blade that was permanently stained with the blood of the many monsters that he had cut down in the past. Finally, the dragon collapsed over onto its side.

Still unwilling to truly give in, the Rathalos opened its wide maw to unleash a ball of blazing hot flames, but nothing happened. It was like the very fire of its soul had been extinguished, and so easily at that. The Rathalos moaned in both pain and despair over its own weakness. It only had enough energy left to simply move its head and snap its jaws pitifully; if it was able to find something to eat, it might be able to regain some of its power, and heal itself over time. Unfortunately, considering the current situation, such a possibility was nothing more than a fleeting glimmer of hope blown away by the winds of reality. The hunter slowly approached the fallen behemoth with his weapon raised high. At that moment, every nerve in the Rathalos' body went numb, and it no longer cared what was going to happen next.

"You were truly a worthy foe, Rathalos," spoke the hunter, his deep voice echoing within the confines of his helmet, "I respect both your impressive tenacity and your belief in pure strength, as I too am very much the same. I would rather not be the one to take your life, but I must for the sake of both Pokke Village and the many people you had devoured so greedily...so this is good-bye."

The Rathalos did not let itself feel any fear as it watched the hunter's sword plunge towards its neck. It simply closed its eyes and waited for its last moment of life to pass on by...

"Hold it right there!" a shrieking, obnoxious voice suddenly boomed out, freezing the hunter in mid-swing. The Rathalos snapped its eyes back open, and it appeared to be just as confused as the hunter was. The two of them watched in utter bewilderment as a small group of men and women in shaggy clothing came marching over the bend, many of them carrying signs and posters. The leader of the mob was a thin middle-aged woman with curly brown hair and an expression on her face that could send even an Ibirujo scampering away for its mommy. The hunter lowered his sword back down to his waist as he turned fully to confront the strangers.

"What in the world do you think you're doing?" the infuriated woman snarled. Upon closer inspection, her shirt had the letters 'P.E.T.M.' printed across in bold, and underneath it was the full title of her organization: 'People for the Ethical Treatment of Monsters'. She raised a bony finger and jabbed it against the hunter's chest accusingly.

"I...I do not know who you people are, or what you are doing here, but right now I am busy completing a mission given to me by the Village Elder of Pokke-" the hunter tried to explain, but this only made the insane woman even angrier with him.

"What gives you the right to go and take the life of this poor, innocent creature?" The Rathalos watched on with anticipation as the argument continued; they were talking about it, weren't they?

"I would dare say nothing gives me 'the right', madam, but this dragon is a grave danger to the livelihood of our people, and it is responsible for the deaths of many already...although I would rather not kill it, it is my duty to do so. Now, please, take your followers and leave me alone to finish my job."

"NEVER!"

"Please, if you have any problems, I would suggest that you go and speak to the Village Elder. For now, I must complete the mission..."

Suddenly, a rather hairy man from the back of the crowd spoke up. "Monsters are sentient beings, too, man!" he exclaimed.

"How would you like it if we went and hunted you down, cut you up, and used your body to make materials for our personal use?" interjected a young woman.

"You're sick! Sick in the bloody head!"

"You Monster Hunters are the real monsters here!"

"Go and get a real job, jackass!"

"The monsters are just trying to live their lives, so why can't you let them?"

"You kill the parents, and then their babies without a second thought! I bet you can't even remember how many loving monster families you've destroyed!"

The hunter was rendered speechless as the insults continued to be thrown his way like a tidal wave. He was only doing what he believed was right; it was his own personal duty to Pokke Village and the people that lived there. He did feel some guilt about killing so many monsters, but if he didn't do it, then the entire natural order of things would be thrown out of balance. There was no way human beings could protect themselves against the ferocious beasts that lived amongst them without Monster Hunters like himself. Even worse about all of this, these P.E.T.M. people...these annoying idiots...were too blind with their own anger and high-strung egotism to notice that they were wearing cloth made from the skin of monsters, and several of them were carrying self-defense weapons most likely designed with the bones of monsters. The hunter made several attempts to speak, but he couldn't find an opening amongst all the chatter.

Even the Rathalos, hanging onto its life by a thread, was becoming increasingly tense. All of the noise was making its head pound. Suddenly, an idea began to formulate in its human-sized brain.

"No matter how much you beg us to leave, we aren't moving an inch until YOU leave! Got it?" The leader of the P.E.T.M. mob smirked proudly with gluttonous self-satisfaction written all over her face. The other members looked to be just as defiant. There was nothing that the hunter could do, and if he stayed for much longer, he might even be driven to attack the interlopers with a murderous rage. Letting out a sigh of defeat, the young man turned his back to them...and began to walk away. He would have to tell the Village Elder that his mission was a failure.

Once the poor hunter was out of sight, the little group threw their hands up in unison. "WE DID IT!" They all cheered with triumph over their ill-begotten victory. The leader seemed especially proud, as hassling Monster Hunters until they gave in to their ridiculous demands was the only way she could feel like she had a life anymore. It was the same for many of P.E.T.M.'s other members, especially the older ones. Now all they had to do was help patch up this poor Rathalos and then they would be on their way-

With a single snap of its teeth, the Rathalos had snatched up the entire mob in its mouth, signs and all. One man's arm was caught between two of the dragon's teeth, and it snapped off like a twig. The poor saps screamed and hollered for help, but their cries were soon silenced as the wyvern swallowed them alive. Almost immediately a surge of newly-formed energy flowed through its titanic body, rejuvenating the Rathalos just enough for it to be able to walk again. Even the injuries left by the hunter's blade were starting to close up; it was all thanks to the natural fast-healing proprieties that all dragons possessed within their skin. As the Rathalos lumbered along to search for more food, it began to hope that it would come across some more P.E.T.M. morsels.

They were a little on the dry side, but they tasted delicious.


End file.
